I, Naje Miller, am a 19 year old freshman cornerback and have been playing football for the Florida State Seminoles ever since the spring. My jersey number was 21. I was a walk-on freshman and I really wasn't sure if I was gonna make the team. But I worked hard at practice ever since I got there and the coaches were impressed. I haven't played a whole lot of football during my time with FSU. I've had a fair amount of playtime though. I played on Special Teams such as Kickoff, Punt, and Field Goal Block, but only from time to time. And I only got playtime on necessary plays and when the team is in a comfortable lead in 4th quarters. Our team almost went undefeated on the season we only lost one game and it was a close one. It was a lousy 9-12 score against a highly competitive team in Ohio State in our first game of the season. Ever since then, we've been unstoppable and won every game.
Just a month ago, we won our conference ACC championship game against the Miami Hurricanes. And one month later, we were in the college football playoffs. We were ranked #3 so we were facing the #2 team, which was the team of the Baylor Bears. We won it 31-22.
But now, a week and a half later, me and the team were headed to the finals in the College Football Playoff National Championships. And how ironic is it that our opponents are none other than the team we faced at the beginning of the season. The team that beat us, the Ohio State Buckeyes. The game was being held at Mercedes-Benz Superdome in New Orleans. They were wearing their special black uniforms and we were wearing our usual alternative away uniforms. Gold helmets with the spear on both sides, white jerseys, and gold pants. But me personally, I was wearing diamond earrings, a Nike skull wrap, a garnet colored half arm sleeve on my left arms, and team colored Nike gloves. We did the normal championship pre-game rituals and it was game time.
Midway through the 4th quarter, we were training 24 to 21. Our offense was on the field and we were on the verge of scoring. We were out our opponent's 5 yard line and it was 2nd & goal. But on that play, our senior quarterback, Shawn Richardson threw a touchdown slant pass to junior wide receiver, Tommy Price. We were in the lead. 28 to 24. By the time it was near the end of the game with 2 minutes left, our 3rd string cornerback, Justin Johnson, got his knee injured and had to come out the game. Which means that I had to go in. I was nervous but excited at the same time.
On a critical 3rd down and 10, I made a huge play. There quarterback threw the ball to the receiver I was covering but I was able to reach my arm out and cleanly swat the pass away. I knew they were gonna target me since I was a freshman and a backup. After the play, I got a few slaps on the helmet from my teammates and some claps on the sideline from some more of my teammates and coaches.
But the next play was pretty heartbreaking. They threw a long pass down the field. The receiver had his hands on the football but I also had my hand in there and knocked it away. Me and the receiver both fell down to the ground. But the ball was still in the air and as it came down, it landed in the body of the receiver and he reacted and caught it while he was still on the ground. I thought it was incomplete but I saw the ball was in his arms. And to make sure, I looked up at the replay. I was devastated. So was my teammates, coaches, and the FSU fans in the crowd. But most importantly, my family who made the trip to see me and the team play. I went to the sideline with my head down and snatched my chinstrap lock off. I got a few taps on the helmet and shoulder pads. I went to sit down on the bench with my fellow secondary players. They were telling me things like "It's okay", "It's not your fault", and "It happens. Stuff like that. The pass also went for 33 yards and put them on our 5 yard line with only 66 seconds left in the game.
On the next play, they ran the ball with their running back for 4 yards. He was short of the end zone by just a yard. Clock was still running and they only had one timeout left. So they felt as if they could take their time, which they did. But surprisingly enough to me, I got the call to go back out on the field. As we were breaking off huddle, our senior starting cornerback, Drae Parker, was telling me what to do when the ball snaps and how he anticipated the play would go. The formation the offense was in was really familiar to me. It was a formation that I practiced on during practice before game day came. The first time I practiced against it, I allowed a score because I didn't anticipate the route well. But I felt in my heart that this time was gonna be different.
The game clock was down to 27 and ticking down. The QB snapped the ball. Drae pressed hard against the inside receiver and the outside receiver ran to the left. I anticipated and react to the route quickly. The QB threw the pass to the outside receiver but I jumped the route, made contact with the receiver, which completely trilled him, and I intercepted it. I fell forward on my belly to the 2 yard line with the ball still in my arms. There were 20 seconds left. A few of my teammates piled up on top of me. My other teammates and coaches were running, jumping up and down, cheering, clapping hard, waving towels up in the air, hugging each other, you name it. The FSU fans also went insane. A few more of my teammates also came and jumped on the pile. They were saying stuff to me as I was at the bottom of the pile. Didn't know for sure what they were saying, but I knew for sure that it was good. Referees through penalty flags for our team's excessive celebration, but we didn't care. It was worth it. Plus, we still had the ball.
My teammates got off of me and helped me up, they also took my helmet off for some reason. I was crying of happiness. They held me and directed me to our sideline. When I went over there, I was getting hugs, rubs on the head, and words of praise from my teammates and coaches. The way, I felt, words couldn't even explain. It was obviously a good feeling.
The offense went on the field to drain down the rest of the clock. But there was a encroachment penalty on the defense which moved the offense 5 yards up. On the next play, our QB drained the rest of the clock down. Hugs were all around the field and on the sideline. Confetti was falling down and fireworks were firing off. I put my towel around my neck, put a our new championship hat on, and ran down the field. A lady was running down with me. It was an interviewer.
"Naje.. I just saw your defensive coordinator hug you and you broke into tears. What happened on that play?" She asked me.
"Uh.. well, I just had a good feeling.. that I was gonna make a big play. A few plays before that, I thought I played the ball well and somehow it the receiver caught it. Once I got called back on the field, I just knew I had to make it right. I had to make a big play. Because if we would've lost, I feel like it would've been my fault. And preparation, it all comes down to preparation. Their formation looked familiar. We practiced on it. And I- I just made a play." I answered.
"A freshman. You're a walk-on freshman. And now you're a championship hero. How are you feeling about that?" She asked.
"Oh my. I don't even know. Words can't explains how good that sounds. I'm just blessed that I was able to help my team with the championship. We worked hard all year long and we couldn't let our hard work go to waste. And we sure couldn't let a crazy play like that catch cost us the season. I'm just... wow. This is just amazing."
"Naje, congrats on the win. Enjoy this win." She said.
"Thank you. Go Noles!" I said as I went to go celebrate with my team. There were still hugs going around. People saying they love each other. People play wrestling and stuff. Some of my teammates came and group hugged around me. I was spotted by the quarterback, Shawn.
"Naje!" He called me. I went up to him smiling. He looked down at me and got in my face.
"Are you kidding me?!" He said. Other players around were laughing. He gave me a hug and I hugged him back.
"Way to play! You're unbelievable man. You're unbelievable." He told me.
"Thank you!" I said to him. He put his hand on my shoulder.
"Aye. You did it man. You won us the championship." He said. I nodded.
"Thank you, man!" I replied. Other teammates gave me more hugs and hand slapped and chest bumps.
The head coach, John Pryor, came over to me and held my face. He then gave me a quick kiss on the cheek. I didn't mind. He was just happy. Happy for me. And I was happy too. He was still holding me by the face and he was smiling and so was I.
"You did it man!" He said. He gave me a hug. "I'm so proud of you."
"Thank you coach." I replied.
"You're amazing." He said again.
"Thank you." I also said again. "Thank you" was the only thing I could say to anyone who complimented and praised me.
The winner's presentation began. They were presenting us our championship. It was being handed around. People were touching it, rubbing it and kissing it.
Months went by, and the championship rings had came in. We were presented with the rings. They looked so cool. They were made of gold with our team logo on them. The team were showing their rings off and kissing them. This was something I never was gonna forget. I went from just a walk-on freshman to a championship hero in just one season. That's just simply awesome.